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Johanne Defay Shares Her Incredible Surfing Journey & Tips For Beginners

Johanne Defay
Johanne Defay

Johanne Defay remains an unheralded hero of the women’s Championship Tour. Since joining the elite ranks in 2014 she’s been a leading crusader in the push for more progressive surfing. While her big Tour victories at the Vans US Open in 2015 and Fiji in 2016 speak volumes to her threat level, her larger influence on the rest of the women’s field comes in the form of single explosive moves, like the inverted nose-pick reverse she pulled at the Roxy Pro in 2016. Defay is dangerous in any condition thanks to her big bag of tricks and her mastery of surfing’s figure-eight fundamentals. She formulated her ambitious style at home on Reunion Island, a tiny green speck in the middle of the Indian Ocean between Madagascar and Mauritius.

She has won three World Surf League events, the Vans US Open of Surfing 2015, the Fiji Women’s Pro 2016 and the Uluwatu CT 2018.

Women Fitness President Namita Nayyar talks to Johanne Defay about her incredible journey below.

Namita Nayyar:

You began surfing at the young age of 8 and entered your first ever competition at 10. If given a chance, how would you like to define your surfing journey?

Photo Credit: Trent Callaghan photography
Johanne Defay:

Being a professional athlete is such a special way of going in life. I think it’s really started because I was passionate about surfing. And all my choices, when I was young, would be towards my surfing. Trying to find a balance between with school, firends, familly, contest and travel, sponsors was my goal. The hardest thing, in my point of view, is when you don’t live a “normal” life” at a young age, even if it was normal for me to choose surfing first, you still have all theses questions coming in your mind. When I finally graduated from school, it felt so good to just focus on my surfing carrer! 2 years after I was on the World Tour and it’s been 5 years…  Every day I am thankful for this life. 

Namita Nayyar:

You workout routine?

Johanne Defay:

I workout everyday… I swore not to be like my dad x). But it’s my drug, I need it to feel good and not be grumpy! I have two type of routine: home/training routine where I will be surfing but even more train in the gym, run, hike and trail running, road bike or mountain bike, skate, do yoga, meditate, swim, walk… I will be doing two to four training (any of theses sports cited) a day with one rest day in the week if I feel tired.  Then I have my routine when I compete where I will wake up between 4.45 and 6.45 and go surf before the contest starts to see how are the conditions of the day. And depending on the contest, in my day I will compete, or rest, or surf again, or do yoga/training.

Namita Nayyar:

Ideal workout location: Gym or outdoors?

Johanne Defay:

Outdoors! Nature makes me feel alive. 

Full interview is continued on next page

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Namita Nayyar:

In 2016, your WSL Rank was number 5. How would you describe this wonderful benchmark?

Johanne Defay:

And I just finished 5 again in 2018! In 5 years on the World Tour I saw the level of women surfing go crazy! Women are improving so fast. It is such a pride to be part of it :). And being in the top 10 every year consecutivly with two time top 5 is better than anything I dreamed of! That’s what I like about competing, it is that you can push yourself so much trying to be better. You are facing yourself, your real self. There is no lies. 

Namita Nayyar:

Your breakfast Comprises of?

Johanne Defay:

I love food and breakfast! I love smoothie bowl topped with any kind of cool stuff! toast with any nut butter with banana hemps seed and honey, or a homemade banana bread, and sometime croissant or buns :). I like to do healthy pancakes too, but I get lazy sometimes… And I will always have my coffee. 

Namita Nayyar:

Your surf inspiring role model?

Johanne Defay:

Carissa Moore. Her surfing is so strong and beautiful! She has so many good values, she is a great person. 

Namita Nayyar:

Other than surfing, what other projects are you working on this year?

Johanne Defay:

To be honest I haven’t done much this year. I want to do a crowdfunding with one of my board (the one I won Uluwatu/Bali with) for breast cancer. My sister was sick this year and I painted a part of my boards in pink to have her with me in the water. And slowly I am thinking of what I will do later after my career.

Namita Nayyar:

3 Favourite beach destinations for surfing?

Johanne Defay:

Fiji, endless beach in the south west of France, Jbay South Africa. 

Namita Nayyar:

What does Women Fitness mean to you?

Johanne Defay:

I just love it when women support each other. After travelling the world, meeting a lot of different people, cultures, situations, I realized that as human being, we all deal with the same thing in life: relationships, finding happiness, work, kids, finding balance as a woman in our different society is really hard. So Women Fitness brings a lot of different women together to make us feel not alone. 

Photo Credit: Trent Callaghan photography
Namita Nayyar:

How do you like to spend your days?

Johanne Defay:

I really like simple things in life. Definitely spending as much time outside or in nature (ocean, mountain, lake etc…) with friends or family. Sharing a good meal with good people is also one of my favorite things to do. I love to read, to cook, to watch TV shows with my boyfriend 🙂 

Namita Nayyar:

3 Favorite swimwear brands?

Johanne Defay:

I love Dakine Boardshort for surfing, Hurley and Rip Curl Bikinis because they really have different forms (feminine and athletics) and they hold well while surfing. 

Namita Nayyar:

Top 5 things you carry while going for surfing?

Johanne Defay:

Sunscreen from SeventyOne, water or tea in my hydroflask, bikini, my board obviously (Channel Island) and the hair mask from Puressential. 

Namita Nayyar:

Myths about surfing that need to be busted?

Johanne Defay:

That surfing is all the time under palm trees in a bikini. Sometime, I have to wake up at 4.45 and it is 5°Celsius and I have to put my wetsuit on that is still a bit wet and go surf in a 14/15 °C water when it is still dark. That it is just a lifestyle, I think now competivive surfer are real athletes. That it could be a dangerous sport, it really depends on the conditions. And that surfer girls are not super models but athletes. 

Namita Nayyar:

How do you create a balance while using social media?

Johanne Defay:

Lucky enough I didn’t grow up with it. It came a bit later in France… So I had my instagram around 18/19 years old. But it was more for fun then arriving on the World Tour 5 years ago, I understood that it was a big part of our job as athletes. At that time I had 1K followers and I was so far behind all the americans, australian girls. So I really had the chance to choose what I wanted to show and share the values that means something to me. I wanted to be true, honest, authentic. But I definitly worked hard for my social media because I didn’t have a major sponsor at this time and it’s certainly didn’t help. Anyway, I am not a big fan of social media but it is part of my life as a job. And the fact to be able to follow friends from far is kind of cool. But everything look so perfect on social media even to me that I have probably one of the best life I could ask for, I think the grass is greener for someone else. SO, please girls, don’t believe everything that is on social media… take the good, leave the fake and be proud of yourself. 

Namita Nayyar:

Message for your 99K followers on Instagram?

Johanne Defay:

Like I said, I really try to be as natural, honest, authantic as I can. And I think I am doing a good job ;). I want to share with you all the adventure I am fortunate to be part of. And I am so thankful for all the support you gave me the past couple of years. Smile and the world will smile you back ! 🙂 xoxo 

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All content on this site is copyright of Women Fitness and no part of any article found on this site may be reproduced without an express permission and highlighted, do follow link crediting http:// www.womenfitness.net/ or preferably the original page as the source. This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar President womenfitness.net and should not be reproduced, copied or hosted in part or full anywhere without an express permission.

All Written Content Copyright © 2019 Women Fitness

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